Hostname: page-component-7dd5485656-glrdx Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2025-10-31T15:46:52.520Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

The development of problem behavior syndromes in at-risk adolescents

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  31 October 2008

Joseph P. Allen ,
Bonnie J. Leadbeater  and
J. Lawrence Aber
Joseph P. Allen*
Affiliation:
University of Virginia
Bonnie J. Leadbeater
Affiliation:
Yale University
J. Lawrence Aber
Affiliation:
Barnard College of Columbia University
*
Address correspondence and reprint requests to: Joseph Allen, Department of Psychology, Gilmer Hall, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA 22903.
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

This study examined multiple paths that can explain the co-occurrence of behaviors comprising a problem behavior syndrome in adolescence. Two hundred sixteen 15–18-year-olds in service programs for at-risk adolescents were assessed twice over a 6–12-month period to examine predictors of changes in levels of their delinquency, unprotected sexual intercourse, and use of soft and of hard drugs. This study considered (a) potential common predictors of multiple behaviors, (b) predictive links among behaviors over time, and (c) whether or not important unique aspects of individual behaviors remain in spite of their co-occurrence. Results were consistent with the hypothesis that the co-occurrence of problem behaviors results from multiple pathways of influence. The future occurrence of several problem behaviors was predicted by adolescents' initial negative expectations in social interactions. In addition, alcohol and marijuana use predicted increases in several other problem behaviors over time. Finally, individual problem behaviors retained important unique characteristics, suggesting the need for further research examining both their syndromal and unique aspects.

Information

Type
Articles
Information
Development and Psychopathology , Volume 6 , Issue 2 , Spring 1994 , pp. 323 - 342
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1994

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

Article purchase

Temporarily unavailable

References

Akiskal, H. S. (1989). The classification of mental disorders. In Kaplan, H. I. & Sadock, B. J. (Eds.), Comprehensive textbook of psychiatry (4th ed., pp. 583–598). Baltimore, MD: Williams & Wilkins.Google Scholar
Allen, J. P., Aber, J. L., & Leadbeater, B. J. (1990). Adolescent problem behaviors: The influence of attachment and autonomy. Psychiatric Clinics of North America, 13, 455–467.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Allen, J. P., Leadbeater, B. J., & Aber, J. L. (1990). The relationship of adolescents' expectations and values to delinquency, hard drug use and unprotected sexual intercourse. Development and Psychopathology, 2, 85–98.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
American Psychiatric Association. (1987). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (3rd ed., rev.). Washington, DC: Author.Google Scholar
Bandura, A. (1977). Self-efficacy: Toward a unifying theory of behavioral change. Psychological Review, 84, 191–215.Google Scholar
Bandura, A. (1989). Regulation of cognitive processes through perceived self-efficacy. Developmental Psychology, 25, 729–773.Google Scholar
Block, J., Block, J. H., & Keyes, S. (1988). Longitudinally foretelling drug usage in adolescence: Early childhood personality and environmental predictors. Child Development, 59, 336–355.Google Scholar
Burt, M. R. (1986). Estimating the public costs of teenage childbearing. Family Planning Perspectives, 18, 221–226.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Cohen, J., & Cohen, P. (1975). Applied multiple regression/correlation analysis for the behavioral sciences. Hillsdale, NJ: Erlbaum.Google Scholar
Conduct Problems Prevention Research Group. (1992). A developmental and clinical model for the prevention of conduct disorder: The FAST Track Program. Development and Psychopathology, 4, 509–528.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Cowen, E. L., Hightower, A. D., Pedro-Carroll, J., & Work, W. C. (1989). School-based models for primary prevention programming with children. Prevention in Human Services, 7, 133–160.Google Scholar
Dodge, K. A. (1980). Social cognition and children's aggressive behavior. Child Development, 51, 162–170.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Dodge, K. A., Bates, J. E., & Pettit, G. S. (1990). Mechanisms in the cycle of violence. Science, 250, 1678–1683.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Dodge, K. A., Pettit, G. S., McClaskey, C. L., & Brown, M. M. (1986). Social competence in children. Monographs of the Society for Research in Child Development, Serial No. 2, 51.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Donovan, J. E., & Jessor, R. (1985). Structure of problem behavior in adolescence and young adult-hood. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 53, 890–904.Google Scholar
Donovan, J. E., Jessor, R., & Costa, F. M. (1988). Syndrome of problem behavior in adolescence: A replication. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 56, 762–765.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Duchnowski, A. J., & Friedman, R. M. (1990). Children's mental health: Challenges for the nineties. Journal of Mental Health Administration, 17, 3–12.Google Scholar
Elliott, D. S., Ageton, S. S., Huizinga, D., Knowles, B. A., & Canter, R. J. (1983). The prevalence and incidence of delinquent behavior: 1976–1980. Boulder, CO: Behavioral Research Institute.Google Scholar
Elliott, D. S., Huizinga, D., & Menard, S. (1989). Multiples problem youth: Delinquency, substance use, and mental health problems. New York: Springer-Verlag.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Elliott, D. S., & Voss, H. L. (1974). Delinquency and dropout. Lexington, MA: D. C. Heath & Co.Google Scholar
Farrell, A. D., Danish, S. J., & Howard, C. W. (1992). Relationship between drug use and other problem behaviors in urban adolescents. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 60, 705–712.Google Scholar
Farrington, D. (1973). Self reports of deviant behavior: Predictive and stable? Journal of Criminal Law, Criminology and Police Science, 61, 99–110.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Freedman, B. J., Rosenthal, L., Donahoe, C. P., Schlundt, D. G., & McFall, R. M. (1978). A social-behavioral analysis of skill deficits in delinquent and non-delinquent boys. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 48, 1448–1462.Google Scholar
Gaffney, L. R., & McFall, R. M. (1981). A comparison of social skills in delinquent and nondelinquent adolescent girls using a behavioral role-playing inventory. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 49, 959–967.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Gillmore, M. J., Hawkins, D. J., Catalano, R. F., Day, L. E., Moore, M., & Abbott, R. (1991). The structure of behavioral problems in preadolescents. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 59, 499–506.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hawkins, J. D., Catalano, R. F., & Miller, J. Y. (1992). Risk and protective factors for alcohol and other drug problems in adolescence and early adulthood: Implications for substance abuse prevention. Psychological Bulletin, 112, 64–105.Google Scholar
Hawkins, J. D., & Weis, J. G. (1985). The social development model: An integrated approach to delinquency prevention. The Journal of Primary Prevention, 6, 73–97.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hunter, N., & Kelley, C. K. (1986). Examination of the validity of the Adolescent Problems Inventory among incarcerated juvenile delinquents. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 54, 301–302.Google Scholar
Jones, J. B., & Philliber, S. (1983). Sexually active but not pregnant: A comparison of teens who risk and teens who plan. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 12, 235–251.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Jorgensen, S. R., King, S. L., & Torrey, B. P. (1980). Dyadic and social network influences on adolescent exposure to pregnancy risk. Journal of Marriage and the Family, 42, 141–155.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kandel, D. B. (1985). On processes of peer influences in adolescent drug use: A developmental perspective. In Kandel, D. B. (Ed.), Advances in alcohol and substance abuse research (pp. 139–163). New York: Haworth Press.Google Scholar
Kandel, D. B. (1988). Issues of sequencing of adolescent drug use and other problem behaviors. Drugs and Society, 3(1–2), 55–76.Google Scholar
Kandel, D. B., Kessler, R. C., & Margulies, R. Z. (1979). Antecedents of adolescent initiation into stages of drug use: A developmental analysis. Annual Progress in Child Psychiatry and Child Development, 7, 646–676.Google Scholar
Kaplan, H. L., & Sadock, B. J. (1989). Typical signs and symptoms of psychiatric illness. In Kaplan, H. I. & Sadock, B. J. (Eds.), Comprehensive text-book of psychiatry (4th ed., pp. 467–483). Baltimore, MD: Williams & Wilkins.Google Scholar
Leadbeater, B. J., Hellner, I., Allen, J. P., & Aber, J. L. (1989). The assessment of interpersonal negotiation strategies in multi-problem youth. Developmental Psychology, 25, 465–472.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Lefkowitz, M. M., Eron, L. D., Walder, L. O., & Huesmann, L. R. (1977). Crowing up to be violent: A longitudinal study of the development of aggression. New York: Pergamon Press.Google Scholar
Loeber, R. (1988). Natural histories of juvenile conduct problems, substance use, and delinquency: Evidence for developmental progressions. In Lahey, B. B. & Kazdin, A. E. (Eds.), Advances in clinical child psychology (Vol. 11, pp. 73–124). New York: Plenum Press.Google Scholar
Mensch, B. S., & Kandel, D. B. (1988). Dropping out of high school and drug involvement. Sociology of Education, 61(2), 95–113.Google Scholar
Patterson, G. R., Debaryshe, B. D., & Ramsey, E. (1989). A developmental perspective on antisocial behavior. American Psychologist, 44, 329–335.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Selman, R. L., Beardslee, W., Schultz, L. H., Krupa, M., & Podorefsky, D. (1986). Assessing adolescent interpersonal negotiation strategies: Toward the integration of structural and functional models. Developmental Psychology, 22, 450–459.Google Scholar
Selman, R. L., Schultz, L., Krupa, M., Beardslee, W. & Podorefsky, D. (1986). An interview method and scoring manual for the developmental assessment of interpersonal negotiations strategies. Unpublished scoring manual, Harvard University, Cambridge.Google Scholar
Sroufe, L. A., & Jacobvitz, D. (1989). Diverging pathways, developmental transformations, multiple etiologies and the problem of continuity in development. Human Development, 12(3–4), 196–203.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Ward, C. I., & McFall, R. M. (1986). Further validation of the problem inventory for adolescent girls: Comparing Caucasian and black delinquents and nondelinquents. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 54, 732–733.Google Scholar
Weisz, J. R. (1986). Contingency and control beliefs as predictors of psychotherapy outcomes among children and adolescents. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 54, 789–795.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Yamaguchi, K., & Kandel, D. (1987). Drug use and other determinants of premarital pregnancy and its outcome: A dynamic analysis of competing life events. Journal of Marriage and the Family, 49, 257–270.Google Scholar